For those of you tired of running into bad news on the front pages and lead articles, here is an antidote: some good news about the future to enlighten you and share with your children.
Futurist, filmmaker, and author, Joel Barker share stories and research from his monthly review of over 45 publications and scan of the Internet.

2 posts categorized "Weblogs"

12/28/2008

A Texas company claims it can grow algae at such volumes that they can produce 100,000 gallons of "algae oil" per acre per year. This compares to corn which yields only 200 gallons of ethanol per year. The secret is a vertical system that allows a 3 dimensional growing space for the algae and a closed-loop system that keeps contanimants out and re-uses water with more than 90% efficiency. Given the numbers, one-tenth of New Mexico could supply all the land necessary to provide 100% of the United States' transportation fuel needs, assuming all vehicles can burn diesel fuel.

The really impressive thing about this company is that they are not seeking public funding and have many venture capitalists waiting to help. This is a project that could change the face of the earth because it takes carbon out of the air (via the algae) to create the lipids in the algae that are then converted to bio-diesel. And anywhere there are moderate temperatures and good access to sunlight, you can have a "factory."

Research done at Temple University confirms that an electric field generated near the fuel injectors of a diesel engine can improve mileage by as much as 20%. It looks like it should work for standard gasoline engines as well. That means a 20% decrease in fuel consumption across the boards for all internal combustion engines. No comment on whether old engines could be retrofited, but, from the research, it sounds possible.